Page 341 - Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 4th Canadian Edition

Chapter 10 Global Climate Systems 305
water demand. A steppe is a regional term referring to the vast semiarid grassland biome of Eastern Europe and Asia. The dry climates are subdivided into tropical, sub- tropical hot deserts; midlatitude cold deserts; tropical, subtropical hot steppes; and midlatitude cold steppes.
steppe (p. 296)
16. In general terms, what are the differences among the
four desert classifications? How are moisture and
temperature distributions used to differentiate these
subtypes?
17. Describe the factors that contribute to the location
of arid and semiarid climates in the western United States. What explains the presence of these climates in northern Africa?
looking for additional review and test prep materials? Visit the Study area in MasteringGeographyTM to enhance your geographic literacy, spatial reasoning skills, and understanding of this chapter’s content by accessing a variety of resources, including interactive maps, geoscience animations, satellite loops, author notebooks, videos, rSS feeds, web links, self-study quizzes, and an eText version of Geosystems.
◀ Figure 10.25 Waimea Canyon, Kaua’i, Hawai’i. The spectacular Waimea Canyon on the western
side of kaua’i is known as “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” The Waimea river and its tributaries carved this 900-m deep canyon, carry- ing runoff from the slopes of Mount Wai’ale’ale (1569 m), one of the wettest locations in the world. (Please review Georeport 8.2, page 215, which describes orographic precipitation on the island of kaua’i.)
In this aerial photo, looking northeast from 1060-m altitude, Po’amau Stream flows through layers of ancient lava flows. Despite the large amounts of precipi- tation on the windward side of the island, annual rainfall here in the rain shadow of Wai’ale’ale ranges from
76 cm to 152 cm per year, with a distinct summer-dry pattern. Temperatures are typical of the tropics, with
all months averaging above 18°C. Mount Wai’ale’ale has a tropical rainforest climate, while only 18 km to the west, Waimea Canyon is charac- terised by a tropical summer- dry climate—rare among the tropical climate types and small in spatial extent on earth. [Bobbé Christopherson.]